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AEGIS 360 In The News

AEGIS 360 Consulting, Inc. Joins PXT SELECT™ Authorized Partner Network Adds Pre-Hire Selection Assessments to Their Consulting Practice

Akron, Ohio – 4/25/2017

Aegis 360 Consulting has officially joined the PXT Select™ Authorized Partner Network and can now provide PXT Select™ assessment solutions to organizations throughout North America. PXT Select is the market’s newest selection assessment and empowers organizations with a simple, human, and smart approach to hiring. As a PXT Select™ Authorized Partner, Aegis 360 Consulting plays an active role in sustaining and promoting the value of assessment solutions and is dedicated to helping organizations build better, more productive, and happier workforces.

“We are delighted to welcome Aegis 360 Consulting, Inc. to our talented PXT Select Authorized Partner Network,” said Scott Allison, VP of Brand and Director at Wiley. “Their dedication to delivering a simpler solution for hiring and developing top talent significantly contributes to our shared goal of building better workplaces.”

“Our work in helping companies identify and develop corporate culture kept leading us to the need for our clients to hire right. They kept asking us for selection assessment assistance.” Said Ned Parks, Founder, and President of Aegis 360. Parks added, “we have had a successful partnership with the Wiley Everything DiSC and Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team brand so it was a natural fit when Wiley introduced PXT Select.

PXT Select, a Wiley brand, offers superior selection and employee-assessment solutions that fill the gap between the résumé and interview. Powered by the latest advancements in assessment technology, these research-validated tools provide actionable data about candidates in an easy to understand format that helps simplify and improve hiring processes. By identifying the most suitable candidates, organizations reduce turnover, boost employee engagement, and ultimately invest in improving their workplaces.

About Aegis 360 Consulting, Inc.
Aegis 360® Consulting is a global provider of business consulting and staff development services that help organizations improve leadership competencies, discover, and align business strategies, and improve culture through employee engagement efforts.

About PXT Select™
PXT Select makes the very human decisions about hiring simpler and smarter. Combining over 20 years of research with powerful assessment technology, PXT Select and its intuitive suite of reports help fill the gap between the resume and the interview. This powerful selection assessment provides organizations with actionable data about candidates and employees in a simple to understand format that helps them to interview better and hire smarter. Learn more at www.PXTSelect.com.

Crain’s Cleveland published a story about our successful collaboration with Kent State Stark to re-brand the company.

Ned Parks, Aegis 360 Consulting Joins Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program

Akron, Oh (October 10, 2016) – Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) welcomed Ned Parks, President, of Aegis 360 Consulting and other Cleveland area small business owners to the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. “This is a program I have wanted to be a part of for quite a while, I am already seeing results after only a few class meetings. The peer to peer learning from other small business owners is invaluable”, stated Ned Parks.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is a $500 million initiative to unlock the growth and job creation potential of small businesses across the United States by providing them with greater access to business education, financial capital, and business support services.

The business owners who enrolled represent a wide variety of industries and businesses including manufacturing, catering, marketing, IT services and more. They spend 14 weeks at Tri-C studying a business and management curriculum designed by Babson College, the top-ranked school for entrepreneurial education, and customized by Tri-C faculty. The curriculum covers topics including accounting, human resources, negotiation, and marketing. The program also includes one-on-one business advising, accounting workshops, and advice from Goldman Sachs’ professionals. The program culminates with each participant developing a strategic growth plan for their business.

10,000 Small Businesses launched in Cleveland in May 2012, committing $15 million for small business loans, business education, and grants for supporting community partners. Additional partners involved in the program in Cleveland include the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE)JumpStart, Inc., the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, and Growth Capital Corporation. These partners help with the recruitment of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Greater Cleveland and assist in providing technical assistance and business support services. For information about the business and management education program please visit www.tri-c.edu/10ksb.

New Directions Celebrates 15 Years in Business with A Company Re-branding

Akron, Ohio (August 2016)– New Directions Learning & Development, a global provider of business solutions, announced the company will begin operating under a new trade name as Aegis 360 Consulting. In addition to unveiling its new identity, the company launched a new web site. The ownership and staff have not changed.

Founder Ned Parks said, “Over the past 15 years the company has grown from its roots in leadership and culture training to include business consulting, success coaching, strategic planning, and Table Top Business Simulations™.

“Since 2010 we opened a new office, obtained Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certifications, became a distributor of Everything DiSC™ and a certified provider of the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, both products from Wiley Publishing.  Additionally, we secured a Registered Corporate Coach designation with the World Wide Association of Business Coaches and we signed an agreement with Sweden-based Celemi International AB as a Certified Solutions Provider of Celemi business solutions.”

Sue Camulli company project coordinator said, “Changing our name to Aegis 360 Consulting formalizes a shift in corporate strategy that has been underway for several years.

“The really exciting part of this came when we got the opportunity to work with Professor Don Thacker of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Kent State University at Stark. Professor Thacker had his senior class of marketing majors take us on as a capstone project looking at the rebranding and service offerings.”

Parks went on to add, “He broke the class into four teams and they each worked independently. In May of 2015, they came back with separate proposals.”

Camulli added, “While we adopted the name from one of the teams, we ended up taking the colors from another and will be instituting several other changes that came from each team. The students worked hard and delivered a first-class project.”

Parks added, “We take great pride in our core training offerings. We wanted to be sure our name and image accurately reflect what we do.”

World is Classroom Screenshot of Article
Akron Beacon Journal Article
Akron Firm Adds to list of Capabilities

Akron, Ohio  May 30, 2014 – Ned Parks of New Directions is now among an exclusive group of independent facilitators, coaches, and consultants authorized to provide The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™ to their clients, after successfully completing the required application, authorization, and training process.

The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team is a new facilitation program that helps professionals and their organizations learn how to work better and more effectively on teams, leading to a noticeable improvement in morale, productivity and results. The model is based on The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,Patrick Lencioni’s best-selling book that outlines the five behaviors that are essential to a healthy, well-functioning team: building trust, mastering conflict, achieving commitment, embracing accountability, and focusing on results.The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team is the result of a partnership between Wiley’s Workplace Learning Solutions Group, a leading provider of assessment-based learning systems, and Patrick Lencioni.

“We are happy to welcome Ned to the global network of Authorized Partners who are now offering The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team to their clients in the HR, training and organizational development space,” said Barry Davis, Vice President and General Manager of Wiley. “The success of this new program for building cohesive and effective teams depends largely on these highly skilled independent facilitators, coaches, and consultants,” said Davis.

Parks has been a Wiley partner for 4 years and was on the beta testing team working with clients to validate the program and is highly skilled in the delivery process.

New Directions Learning & Development is a global provider of business consulting, staff development, and executive leadership coaching services that help organizations improve management competencies enhance processes and improve employee engagement efforts. New Directions is located in Akron, Ohio and can be found on the web at www.a360c.com

About Wiley

Wiley is a global provider of content-enabled solutions that improve outcomes in research, education, and professional practice. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners.

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa, JWb), has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley’s global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company’s website can be accessed at https://www.wiley.com.

Akron Business Achieves Sales Honor
​​February 24, 2012, Akron, Ohio – Local business New Directions Learning & Development has been honored as an Inscape Publishing Opal Award Winner.

“New Directions brings insight and practical tools to help individuals be more effective in the workplace. To be successful in workplace relationships, people need to have a memorable framework to understand themselves and others,” says Jeffrey Sugerman president and CEO of Inscape Publishing.

New Directions Learning & Development is a global provider of business consulting, staff development, and executive leadership coaching services that help organizations improve management competencies enhance processes and improve employee engagement efforts. New Directions is located in Bath, Ohio and can be found on the web at www.a360c.com

“New Directions’ work is helping people learn to be better leaders, managers, and individual contributors,” Sugerman says. “Organizations are becoming stronger and more efficient as a result. We are proud to have New Directions as a partner.”

Inscape Publishing, Inc. is a leading developer of DiSC®-based corporate training and assessment solutions. Inscape recently launched Everything DiSC®, its third-generation applications that combine online assessment, classroom facilitation, and post-training follow-up reports to create powerful, personalized workplace development experiences. With a global network of nearly 1800 independent distributors, Inscape’s solution-focused products are used in thousands of organizations, including major government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Every year, more than a million people worldwide participate in programs that use an Inscape assessment. Inscape products have been translated into 30 different languages and are used in 70 countries. For more information about Inscape Publishing and Everything DiSC products, visit www.everythingdisc.com.

WABC Names Ned Parks of Bath, Ohio New Registered Corporate Coach

January 20, 2012

 Victoria, Canada — The Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC) has recognized Ned Parks of Akron, Ohio with the Registered Corporate Coach (RCC) designation. This intermediate credential is awarded to business coaches who have learned key principles, skills and techniques for coaching effectively in businesses and organizations.

Registered Corporate Coaches are trained in both internal and external coaching. As internal coaches, they work with executives and managers to strengthen the organization’s corporate culture. As external coaches, they work with business people at all levels to help them succeed personally and professionally.

Wendy Johnson, WABC president, and chief executive officer, comments, “The Registered Corporate Coach designation has been obtained by nearly a thousand practitioners worldwide. Coaches who have earned this designation are committed to our emerging profession. They’ve invested serious time and effort in developing specialized skills to bring out the best in others.”

Ned Parks is the founder of New Directions Learning & Development a global provider of business consulting, staff development, and business leadership coaching services that help organizations improve management competencies enhance processes and increase employee engagement efforts, since 2000. New Directions is located in Bath, Ohio.

Clients have included, Dealer Tire, Kent State Office of Professional Development, Fortune 500 companies, and many government agencies. Mr. Parks notes, “Business and executive coaching is part advisor, part sounding board, part cheerleader, part manager, and part strategist and even modest improvements show large returns based on the investment.”

Business coaching, which includes niches such as corporate and executive coaching, is one of the fastest-growing professional services in the world. WABC has represented business coaches and their clients since 1997, and is the first international association dedicated exclusively to the industry. Says Ms. Johnson, “Our goals at WABC are to set the highest international standards for business coaches, to create a lifelong ladder of learning for our members, and to build and maintain public trust in our industry. Offering rigorous professional designations for business coaches satisfies all of these goals.”

ABOUT WABC

The Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC) is the first international professional association dedicated exclusively to business coaching and the only association of its kind to require advanced qualifications for membership. WABC’s mandate is to develop, advance and promote the emerging profession of business coaching worldwide.

Since it was founded in 1997, WABC has seen its membership grow steadily. The hundreds of internal and external coaches who belong to WABC work with entrepreneurs, managers, CEOs, presidents and business professionals from all industries in the public, private and non-profit sectors. WABC members come from over 30 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Akron Firm becomes authorized distributor for International Training Company

Akron, Ohio May 9, 2011 – Ned Parks of New Directions Learning & Development in Akron,
Ohio announced today that they have successfully completed the application and training process with Inscape Publishing, Inc. to become an Inscape Authorized Distributor.

New Directions is now among more than 2,500 independent coaches and consultants in North America authorized to use Inscape’s industry-leading DiSC® learning instrument along with a host of assessments dealing with leadership, teamwork, communication, and more, to augment their training, consulting, and development solutions.

Inscape Publishing, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the leading provider of instrument-based learning systems that transform individuals, teams, and organizations by helping people develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationships. This, in turn, helps organizations realize greater success. Inscape’s flagship product, the DiSC® learning instrument, was pioneered over three decades ago.

New Directions Learning & Development is a global provider of business consulting and staff development services that help organizations improve management competencies enhance
customer service and improve employee engagement efforts. Parks notes, “Integrating the Inscape family of products in my consulting practice will help my clients in a positive way.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Ned to our network of Authorized Distributors,” said Jeffrey Sugerman, President of Inscape Publishing. “The successful implementation of our learning instruments in organizations throughout North America is dependent upon the highly skilled network of independent coaches and consultants who use our resources with their clients’ workforces to help them achieve desired results.”

Inscape Publishing, Inc., the leading provider of instrument-based learning systems, pioneered the original DiSC® learning instrument over three decades ago. Today, Inscape continues to create innovative products and services that engage, inspire, and empower individuals and organizations. Available in 24 languages in more than 50 countries, Inscape’s learning resources have helped more than 45 million people gain insight into their attitudes, behaviors, and potential in the workplace.